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Topic: "Consummatum Est" (Read 1344 times)

NOTICE of the granting of his request came to Rizal just whenrepeated disappointments had caused him to prepare for stayingin Dapitan. Immediately he disposed of his salable possessions,including a Japanese tea set and large mirror now among the Rizalrelics preserved by the government, and a piece of outlying land,the deed for which is also among the Rizalana in the Philippineslibrary. Some half-finished busts were thrown into the pool behindthe dam. Despite the short notice all was ready for the trip in time,and, attended by some of his schoolboys as well as by Josefina andRizal's niece, the daughter of his youngest sister, Soledad, whomJosefina wished to adopt, the party set out for Manila.

The journey was not an uneventful one; at Dumaguete Rizal was theguest of a Spanish judge at dinner; in Cebu he operated successfullyupon the eyes of a foreign merchant; and in Iloilo the local newspapermade much of his presence.

The steamer from Dapitan reached Manila a little too late for the mailboat for Spain, and Rizal obtained permission to await the next sailingon board the cruiser Castilla, in the bay. Here he was treated like aguest and more than once the Spanish captain invited members of Rizal'sfamily to be his guests at dinner--Josefina with little Maria Luisa,the niece and the schoolboys, for whom positions had been obtained,in Manila.

The alleged uprising of the Katipunan occurred during this time. ATondo curate, with an eye to promotion, professed to have discovereda gigantic conspiracy. Incited by him, the lower class of Spaniardsin Manila made demonstrations against Blanco and tried to forcethat ordinarily sensible and humane executive into bloodthirstymeasures, which should terrorize the Filipinos. Blanco had known ofthe Katipunan but realized that so long as interested parties wereusing it as a source of revenue, its activities would not go muchbeyond speechmaking. The rabble was not so far-seeing, and from highauthorities came advice that the country was in a fever and couldonly be saved by blood-letting.

Wholesale arrests filled every possible place for prisoners inManila. The guilt of one suspect consisted in having visited theAmerican consul to secure the address of a New York medical journal,and other charges were just as frivolous. There was a reign of terrorin Luzon and, to save themselves, members of the Katipunan resorted tothat open warfare which, had Blanco's prudent counsels been regarded,would probably have been avoided.

While the excitement was at its height, with a number of executionsfailing to satisfy the blood-hunger, Rizal sailed for Spain,bearing letters of recommendation from Blanco. These vouched for hisexemplary conduct during his exile and stated that he had in no waybeen implicated in the conspiracies then disturbing the Islands.

The Spanish mail boat upon which Rizal finally sailed had among itspassengers a sick Jesuit, to whose care Rizal devoted himself, andthough most of the passengers were openly hostile to one whom theysupposed responsible for the existing outbreak, his professionalskill led several to avail themselves of his services. These weregiven with a deference to the ship's doctor which made that officialan admirer and champion of his colleague.

Three only of the passengers, however, were really friendly--oneJuan Utor y Fernandez, a prominent Mason and republican, anotherex-official in the Philippines who shared Utor's liberal views,and a young man whose father was republican.

But if Rizal's chief adversaries were content that he should go wherehe would not molest them or longer jeopardize their interests, therabble that had been excited by the hired newspaper advocates wasnot so easily calmed. Every one who felt that his picture had beenpainted among the lower Spanish types portrayed in "Noli Me Tangere"was loud for revenge. The clamor grew so great that it seemed possibleto take advantage of it to displace General Blanco, who was not aconvenient tool for the interests.

So his promotion was bought, it is said, to get one Polavieja,a willing tool, in his place. As soon as this scheme was arranged,a cablegram ordering Rizal's arrest was sent; it overtook the steamerat Suez. Thus as a prisoner he completed his journey.

But this had not been entirely unforeseen, for when the steamer reachedSingapore, Rizal's companion on board, the Filipino millionaire PedroP. Roxas, had deserted the ship, urging the ex-exile to follow hisexample. Rizal demurred, and said such flight would be consideredconfession of guilt, but he was not fully satisfied in his mind thathe was safe. At each port of call his uncertainty as to what courseto pursue manifested itself, for though he considered his duty to hiscountry already done, and his life now his own, he would do nothingthat suggested an uneasy conscience despite his lack of confidencein Spanish justice.

At first, not knowing the course of events in Manila, he very naturallyblamed Governor-General Blanco for bad faith, and spoke rather harshlyof him in a letter to Doctor Blumentritt, an opinion which he changedlater when the truth was revealed to him in Manila.

Upon the arrival of the steamer in Barcelona the prisoner wastransferred to Montjuich Castle, a political prison associated withmany cruelties, there to await the sailing that very day of thePhilippine mail boat. The Captain-General was the same Despujolwho had decoyed Rizal into the power of the Spaniards four yearsbefore. An interesting interview of some hours' duration took placebetween the governor and the prisoner, in which the clear conscienceof the latter seems to have stirred some sense of shame in the manwho had so dishonorably deceived him.

He never heard of the effort of London friends to deliver him atSingapore by means of habeas-corpus proceedings. Mr. Regidor furnishedthe legal inspiration and Mr. Baustead the funds for getting an opinionas to Rizal's status as a prisoner when in British waters, from SirEdward Clarke, ex-solicitor-general of Great Britain. Captain Camus, aFilipino living in Singapore, was cabled to, money was made availablein the Chartered Bank of Singapore, as Mr. Baustead's father'sfirm was in business in that city, and a lawyer, now Sir Hugh Fort,K.C., of London, was retained. Secretly, in order that the attempt,if unsuccessful, might not jeopardize the prisoner, a petition waspresented to the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements reciting thefacts that Doctor Jose Rizal, according to the Philippine practice ofpunishing Freemasons without trial, was being deprived of his libertywithout warrant of law upon a ship then within the jurisdiction ofthe court.

According to Spanish law Rizal was being illegally held on the Spanishmail steamer Colon, for the Constitution of Spain forbade detentionexcept on a judge's order, but like most Spanish laws the Constitutionwas not much respected by Spanish officials. Rizal had never had ahearing before any judge, nor had any charge yet been placed againsthim. The writ of habeas corpus was justified, provided the Colon werea merchant ship that would be subject to British law when in Britishport, but the mail steamer that carried Rizal also had on board Spanishsoldiers and flew the royal flag as if it were a national transport. Noone was willing to deny that this condition made the ship floatingSpanish territory, and the judge declined to issue the writ.

Rizal reached Manila on November 3 and was at once transferred toFort Santiago, at first being held in a dungeon "incomunicado" andlater occupying a small cell on the ground floor. Its furnishingshad to be supplied by himself and they consisted of a small rattantable, a high-backed chair, a steamer chair of the same material,and a cot of the kind used by Spanish officers--canvas top andcollapsible frame which closed up lengthwise. His meals were sent inby his family, being carried by one of his former pupils at Dapitan,and such cooking or heating as was necessary was done on an alcohollamp which had been presented to him in Paris by Mrs. Tavera.

An unsuccessful effort had been made earlier to get evidence againstRizal by torturing his brother Paciano. For hours the elder brother hadbeen seated at a table in the headquarters of the political police,a thumbscrew on one hand and pen in the other, while before himwas a confession which would implicate Jose Rizal in the Katipunanuprising. The paper remained unsigned, though Paciano was hung up bythe elbows till he was insensible, and then cut down that the fallmight revive him. Three days of this maltreatment made him so illthat there was no possibility of his signing anything, and he wascarted home.

It would not be strictly accurate to say that at the close of thenineteenth century the Spaniards of Manila were using the same torturesthat had made their name abhorrent in Europe three centuries earlier,for there was some progress; electricity was employed at times asan improved method of causing anguish, and the thumbscrews were muchmore neatly finished than those used by the Dons of the Dark Ages.

Rizal did not approve of the rebellion and desired to issue a manifestoto those of his countrymen who had been deceived into believing thathe was their leader. But the proclamation was not politic, for itcontained none of those fulsomely flattering phrases which passedfor patriotism in the feverish days of 1896. The address was notallowed to be made public but it was passed on to the prosecutor toform another count in the indictment of Jose Rizal for not esteemingSpanish civilization.

The following address to some Filipinos shows more clearly andunmistakably than any words of mine exactly what was the state ofRizal's mind in this matter.

COUNTRYMEN:

On my return from Spain I learned that my name had been in use,among some who were in arms, as a war-cry. The news came as a painfulsurprise, but, believing it already closed, I kept silent over anincident which I considered irremediable. Now I notice indications ofthe disturbances continuing and if any still, in good or bad faith, areavailing themselves of my name, to stop this abuse and undeceive theunwary I hasten to address you these lines that the truth may be known.

From the very beginning, when I first had notice of what was beingplanned, I opposed it, fought it, and demonstrated its absoluteimpossibility. This is the fact, and witnesses to my words are nowliving. I was convinced that the scheme was utterly absurd, and,what was worse, would bring great suffering.

I did even more. When later, against my advice, the movementmaterialized, of my own accord I offered not alone my good offices,but my very life, and even my name, to be used in whatever waymight seem best, toward stifling the rebellion; for, convinced ofthe ills which it would bring, I considered myself fortunate if, atany sacrifice, I could prevent such useless misfortunes. This equallyis of record. My countrymen, I have given proofs that I am one mostanxious for liberties for our country, and I am still desirous ofthem. But I place as a prior condition the education of the people,that by means of instruction and industry our country may have anindividuality of its own and make itself worthy of these liberties. Ihave recommended in my writings the study of the civic virtues,without which there is no redemption. I have written likewise (and Irepeat my words) that reforms, to be beneficial, must come from above,that those which come from below are irregularly gained and uncertain.

Holding these ideas, I cannot do less than condemn, and I do condemnthis uprising--as absurd, savage, and plotted behind my back--whichdishonors us Filipinos and discredits those who could plead ourcause. I abhor its criminal methods and disclaim all part in it,pitying from the bottom of my heart the unwary who have been deceived.

Return, then, to your homes, and may God pardon those who have workedin bad faith!

Jose Rizal.

Fort Santiago, December 15, 1896.

Finally a court-martial was convened for Rizal's trial, in theCuartel de Espana. No trained counsel was allowed to defend him,but a list of young army officers was presented from which he mightselect a nominal defender. Among the names was one which was familiar,Luis Taviel de Andrade, and he proved to be the brother of Rizal'scompanion during his visit to the Philippines in 1887-88. The youngman did his best and risked unpopularity in order to be loyal tohis client. His defense reads pitiably weak in these days but it wasrisky then to say even so much.

The judge advocate in a ridiculously bombastic effusion gave analleged sketch of Rizal's life which showed ignorance of almost everymaterial event, and then formulated the first precise charge againstthe prisoner, which was that he had founded an illegal society,alleging that the Liga Filipina had for its sole object to committhe crime of rebellion.

The second charge was that Rizal was responsible for the existingrebellion, having caused it, bringing it on by his unceasing labors. Anaggravating circumstance was found in the prisoner's being a nativeof the Philippines.

The penalty of death was asked of the court, and in the event of pardonbeing granted by the crown, the prisoner should at least remain undersurveillance for the rest of his life and pay as damages 20,000 pesos.

The arguments are so absurd, the bias of the court so palpable, thatit is not worth while to discuss them. The parallel proceedings inthe military trial and execution of Francisco Ferret in Barcelona in1909 caused worldwide indignation, and the illegality of almost everystep, according to Spanish law, was shown in numerous articles inthe European and American press. Rizal's case was even more brazenlyunfair, but Manila was too remote and the news too carefully censoredfor the facts to become known.

The prisoner's arms were tied, corded from elbow to elbow behindhis back, and thus he sat through the weary trial while the publicjeered him and clamored for his condemnation as the bloodthirstycrowds jeered and clamored in the French Reign of terror.

Then came the verdict and the prisoner was invited to acknowledgethe regularity of the proceedings in the farcical trial by signingthe record. To this Rizal demurred, but after a vain protest, affixedhis signature.

He was at once transferred to the Fort chapel, there to pass the lasttwenty-four hours of his life in preparing for death. The militarychaplain offered his services, which were courteously declined, butwhen the Jesuits came, those instructors of his youth were eagerlywelcomed.

Rizal's trial had awakened great interest and accounts of everythingabout the prisoner were cabled by eager correspondents to the Madridnewspapers. One of the newspaper men who visited Rizal in his cellmentions the courtesy of his reception, and relates how the prisonerplayed the host and insisted on showing his visitor those attentionswhich Spanish politeness considers due to a guest, saying that thesemust be permitted, for he was in his own home. The interviewer foundthe prisoner perfectly calm and natural, serious of course, but notat all overwhelmed by the near prospect of death, and in discussinghis career Rizal displayed that dispassionate attitude toward hisown doings that was characteristic of him. Almost as though speakingof a stranger he mentioned that if Archbishop Nozaleda's sane viewhad been taken and "Noli Me Tangere" not preached against, he wouldnot have been in prison, and perhaps the rebellion would never haveoccurred. It is easy for us to recognize that the author referred tothe misconception of his novel, which had arisen from the publicationof the censor's extracts, which consisted of whatever could beconstrued into coming under one of the three headings of attacks onreligion, attacks on government, and reflections on Spanish character,without the slightest regard to the context.

But the interviewer, quite honestly, reported Rizal to be regrettinghis novel instead of regretting its miscomprehension, and he seemsto have been equally in error in the way he mistook Rizal's meaningabout the republicans in Spain having led him astray.

Rizal's exact words are not given in the newspaper account, but it isnot likely that a man would make admissions in a newspaper interview,which if made formally, would have saved his life. Rizal's memoryhas one safeguard against the misrepresentations which the absenceof any witnesses favorable to him make possible regarding his lastmoments: a political retraction would have prevented his execution,and since the execution did take place, it is reasonable to believethat Rizal died holding the views for which he had expressed himselfwilling to suffer martyrdom.

Yet this view does not reflect upon the good faith of the reporter. Itis probable that the prisoner was calling attention to the illogicalresult that, though he had disregarded the advice of the radicalSpaniards who urged him to violent measures, his peaceable agitationhad been misunderstood and brought him to the same situation as thoughhe had actually headed a rebellion by arms. His slighting opinionof his great novel was the view he had always held, for like allmen who do really great things, he was the reverse of a braggart,and in his remark that he had attempted to do great things withoutthe capacity for gaining success, one recognizes his remembrance ofhis mother's angry prophecy foretelling failure in all he undertook.

His family waited long outside the Governor-General's place to aska pardon, but in vain; General Polavieja had to pay the price of hisappointment and refused to see them.

The mother and sisters, however, were permitted to say farewell toRizal in the chapel, under the eyes of the death-watch. The prisonerhad been given the unusual privilege of not being tied, but he wasnot allowed to approach near his relatives, really for fear thathe might pass some writing to them--the pretext was made that Rizalmight thus obtain the means for committing suicide.

To his sister Trinidad Rizal spoke of having nothing to give herby way of remembrance except the alcohol cooking lamp which he hadbeen using, a gift, as he mentioned, from Mrs. Tavera. Then he addedquickly, in English, so that the listening guard would not understand,"There is something inside."

The other events of Rizal's last twenty-four hours, for he went in tothe chapel at seven in the morning of the day preceding his execution,are perplexing. What purported to be a detailed account was promptlypublished in Barcelona, on Jesuit authority, but one must not forgetthat Spaniards are not of the phlegmatic disposition which makes foraccuracy in minute matters and even when writing history they aredramatically ificlined. So while the truthfulness, that is the intentto be fair, may not be questioned, it would not be strange if those whowrote of what happened in the chapel in Fort Santiago during Rizal'slast hours did not escape entirely from the influence of the nationalcharacteristics. In the main their narrative is to be accepted,but the possibility of unconscious coloring should not be disregarded.

In substance it is alleged that Rizal greeted his old instructorsand other past acquaintances in a friendly way. He asked for copiesof the Gospels and the writings of Thomas-a-Kempis, desired to beformally married to Josefina, and asked to be allowed to confess. TheJesuits responded that first it would be necessary to investigatehow far his beliefs conformed to the Roman Catholic teachings. Theircatechizing convinced them that he was not orthodox and a religiousdebate ensued in which Rizal, after advancing all known arguments,was completely vanquished. His marriage was made contingent upon hissigning a retraction of his published heresies.

The Archbishop had prepared a form which the Jesuits believedRizal would be little likely to sign, and they secured permissionto substitute a shorter one of their own which included only theabsolute essentials for reconciliation with the Church, and avoided allpolitical references. They say that Rizal objected only to a disavowalof Freemasonry, stating that in England, where he held his membership,the Masonic institution was not hostile to the Church. After someargument, he waived this point and wrote out, at a Jesuit's dictation,the needed retraction, adding some words to strengthen it in parts,indicating his Catholic education and that the act was of his ownfree will and accord.

The prisoner, the priests, and all the Spanish officials present kneltat the altar, at Rizal's suggestion, while he read his retractionaloud. Afterwards he put on a blue scapular, kissed the image ofthe Sacred Heart he had carved years before, heard mass as whena student in the Ateneo, took communion, and read his a-Kempis orprayed in the intervals. He took breakfast with the Spanish officers,who now regarded him very differently. At six Josefina entered andwas married to him by Father Balanguer.

Now in this narrative there are some apparent discrepancies. Mention ismade of Rizal having in an access of devotion signed in a devotionaryall the acts of faith, and it is said that this book was given to oneof his sisters. His chapel gifts to his family have been examined,but though there is a book of devotion, "The Anchor of Faith," itcontains no other signature than the presentation on a flyleaf. Asto the religious controversy: while in Dapitan Rizal carried on withFather Pio Pi, the Jesuit superior, a lengthy discussion involving theinterchange of many letters, but he succeeded in fairly maintaininghis views, and these views would hardly have caused him to be calledProtestant in the Roman Catholic churches of America. Then thetheatrical reading aloud of his retraction before the altar does notconform to Rizal's known character. As to the anti-Masonic arguments,these appear to be from a work by Monsignor Dupanloup and thereforewere not new to Rizal; furthermore, the book was in his own library.

Again, it seems strange that Rizal should have asserted that hisMasonic membership was in London when in visiting St. John's Lodge,Scotch Constitution, in Hongkong in November of 1891, since whichdate he had not been in London, he registered as from "Temple duhonneur de les amis francais," an old-established Paris lodge.

Also the sister Lucia, who was said to have been a witness of themarriage, is not positive that it occurred, having only seen thepriest at the altar in his vestments. The record of the marriagehas been stated to be in the Manila Cathedral, but it is not there,and as the Jesuit in officiating would have been representing themilitary chaplain, the entry should have been in the Fort register,now in Madrid. Rizal's burial, too, does not indicate that he diedin the faith, yet it with the marriage has been used as an argumentfor proving that the retraction must have been made.

The retraction itself appears in two versions, with slightdifferences. No one outside the Spanish faction has ever seenthe original, though the family nearly got into trouble by theirpersistence in trying to get sight of it after its first publication.

The foregoing might suggest some disbelief, but in fact they are onlyproofs of the remarks already made about the Spanish carelessness indetails and liking for the dramatic.

The writer believes Rizal made a retraction, was married canonically,and was given what was intended to be Christian burial.

The grounds for this belief rest upon the fact that he seems neverto have been estranged in faith from the Roman Catholic Church,but he objected only to certain political and mercenary abuses. Thefirst retraction is written in his style and it certainly containsnothing he could not have signed in Dapitan. In fact, Father Obachsays that when he wanted to marry Josefina on her first arrival there,Rizal prepared a practically similar statement. Possibly the report ofthat priest aided in outlining the draft which the Jesuits substitutedfor the Archbishop's form. There is no mention of evasions or mentalreservations and Rizal's renunciation of Masonry might have beenqualified by the quibble that it was "the Masonry which was an enemyof the Church" that he was renouncing. Then since his association(not affiliation) had been with Masons not hostile to religion,he was not abandoning these.

The possibility of this line of thought having suggested itself tohim appears in his evasions on the witness-stand at his trial. Thoughhe answered with absolute frankness whatever concerned himself and ineveryday life was almost quixotically truthful, when cross-examinedabout others who would be jeopardized by admitting his acquaintancewith them, he used the subterfuge of the symbolic names of his Masonicacquaintances. Thus he would say, "I know no one by that name," sincecare was always taken to employ the symbolic names in introductionsand conversations.

Rizal's own symbolic name was "Dimas Alang"--Tagalog for "NoliMe Tangere"--and his nom de plume in some of his controversialpublications. The use of that name by one of his companions on therailroad trip to Tarlac entirely mystified a station master, as appearsin the secret report of the espionage of that trip, which just precededhis deportation to Dapitan. Another possible explanation is that, sinceFreemasonry professes not to disturb the duties which its members oweto God, their country or their families, he may have considered himselfas a good Mason under obligation to do whatever was demanded by thesesuperior interests, all three of which were at this time involved.

The argument that it was his pride that restrained him suggested toRizal the possibility of his being unconsciously under an influencewhich during his whole life he had been combating, and he may haveconsidered that his duty toward God required the sacrifice of thispride.

For his country his sacrifice would have been blemished were anyreligious stigma to attach to it. He himself had always been carefulof his own good name, and as we have said elsewhere, he told hiscompanions that in their country's cause whatever they offered on thealtars of patriotism must be as spotless as the sacrificial lambs ofLevitical law.

Furthermore, his work for a tranquil future for his family would beunfulfilled were he to die outside the Church. Josefina's anomalousstatus, justifiable when all the facts were known, would be sureto bring criticism upon her unless corrected by the better definedposition of a wife by a church marriage. Then the aged parents andthe numerous children of his sisters would by his act be saved thescandal that in a country so mediaevally pious as the Philippineswould come from having their relative die "an unrepentant heretic."

Rizal had received from the Jesuits, while in prison, several religiousbooks and pictures, which he used as remembrances for members of hisfamily, writing brief dedications upon them. Then he said good-by toJosefina, asking in a low voice some question to which she answeredin English, "Yes, yes," and aloud inquiring how she would be able togain a living, since all his property had been seized by the Spanishgovernment to satisfy the 20,000 pesetas costs which was included inthe sentence of death against him. Her reply was that she could earnmoney giving lessons in English.

The journey from the Fort to the place of execution, then BagumbayanField, now called the Luneta, was on foot. His arms were tied tightlybehind his back, and he was surrounded by a heavy guard. The Jesuitsaccompanied him and some of his Dapitan schoolboys were in the crowd,while one friendly voice, that of a Scotch merchant still residentin Manila, called out in English, "Good-by, Rizal."

The route was along the Malecon Drive where as a college student hehad walked with his fiancee, Leonora. Above the city walls showed thetwin towers of the Ateneo, and when he asked about them, for they werenot there in his boyhood days, he spoke of the happy years that hehad spent in the old school. The beauty of the morning, too, appealedto him, and may have recalled an experience of his '87 visit when hesaid to a friend whom he met on the beach during an early morning walk:"Do you know that I have a sort of foreboding that some such sunshinymorning as this I shall be out here facing a firing squad?"

Troops held back the crowds and left a large square for the tragedy,while artillery behind them was ready for suppressing any attempt atrescuing the prisoner. None came, however, for though Rizal's brotherPaciano had joined the insurrectionary forces in Cavite when the deathsentence showed there was no more hope for Jose, he had discouragedthe demonstration that had been planned as soon as he learned howscantily the insurgents were armed, hardly a score of serviceablefirearms being in the possession of their entire "army."

The firing squad was of Filipino soldiers, while behind them, betterarmed, were Spaniards in case these tried to evade the fratricidalpart assigned them. Rizal's composure aroused the curiosity of aSpanish military surgeon standing by and he asked, "Colleague, mayI feel your pulse?" Without other reply the prisoner twisted one ofhis hands as far from his body as the cords which bound him allowed,so that the other doctor could place his fingers on the wrist. Thebeats were steady and showed neither excitement nor fear, was thereport made later.

His request to be allowed to face his executioners was denied as beingout of the power of the commanding officer to grant, though Rizaldeclared that he did not deserve such a death, for he was no traitorto Spain. It was promised, however, that his head should be respected,and as unblindfolded and erect Rizal turned his back to receive theirbullets, he twisted a hand to indicate under the shoulder where thesoldiers should aim so as to reach his heart. Then as the volley came,with a last supreme effort of will power, he turned and fell faceupwards, thus receiving the subsequent "shots of grace" which ended hislife, so that in form as well as fact he did not die a traitor's death.

The Spanish national air was played, that march of Cadiz which shouldhave recalled a violated constitution, for by the laws of Spain itselfRizal was illegally executed.

Vivas, laughter and applause were heard, for it had been the socialevent of the day, with breakfasting parties on the walls and onthe carriages, full of interested onlookers of both sexes, lined upconveniently near for the sightseeing.

The troops defiled past the dead body, as though reviewed by it,for the most commanding figure of all was that which lay lifeless,but the center of all eyes. An officer, realizing the decency due todeath, drew his handkerchief from the dead man's pocket and spreadthe silk over the calm face. A crimson stain soon marked the whitenessemblematic of the pure life that had just ended, and with the gloriousblue overhead, the tricolor of Liberty, which had just claimed anothermartyr, was revealed in its richest beauty.

Sir Hugh Clifford (now Governor of Ceylon), in Blackwood's Magazine,"The Story of Jose Rizal, the Filipino; A Fragment of Recent AsiaticHistory," comments as follows on the disgraceful doing of that day:

"It was," he writes, "early morning, December 30, 1896, and the brightsunshine of the tropics streamed down upon the open space, castinghard fantastic shadows, and drenching with its splendor two crowdsof sightseers. The one was composed of Filipinos, cowed, melancholy,sullen, gazing through hopeless eyes at the final scene in the life oftheir great countryman--the man who had dared to champion their cause,and to tell the world the story of their miseries; the other was blitheof air, gay with the uniforms of officers and the bright dresses ofSpanish ladies, the men jesting and laughing, the women shamelesslyapplauding with waving handkerchiefs and clapping palms, all aliketriumphing openly in the death of the hated 'Indian,' the 'brotherof the water-buffalo,' whose insolence had wounded their pride.

* * * Turning away, sick at heart, from the contemplation of thisbitter tragedy, it is with a thrill of almost vindictive satisfactionthat one remembers that less than eighteen months later the Lunetaechoed once more to the sound of a mightier fusillade--the roar ofthe great guns with which the battle of Manila Bay was fought and won.

* * * And if in the moment of his last supreme agony the power to probethe future had been vouchsafed to Jose Rizal, would he not have diedhappy in the knowledge that the land he loved so dearly was very soonto be transferred into such safekeeping?"

LINEAGE LIFE AND LABORS of JOSE RIZALPHILIPPINE PATRIOT

A Study of the Growth of Free Ideas in the Trans-Pacific AmericanTerritory